How To: Invisible Fasten Off in Crochet

Hey, it’s Sofia from Loop & Twine! The invisible fasten off (also called the invisible finish) is one of my favorite techniques for finishing off a crochet piece — it takes an extra thirty seconds and makes a real difference in how professional the finished edge looks.

What Is the Invisible Fasten Off?

The invisible fasten off is a technique used to finish a crochet piece neatly. It creates a false stitch that mimics the rest of your stitches, and it works in both continuous and joined rounds. It’s especially useful when making color changes in joined rounds, or when finishing off open or flat pieces in amigurumi.

Why Should You Use the Invisible Fasten Off?

The invisible fasten off eliminates unsightly knots, bumps, or stray stitches, making any join or jog between rounds far less obvious and giving your work a smoother, more polished finish.

When Should You Use the Invisible Fasten Off?

Use it whenever you have an edge that will actually be visible — think limbs or spots on amigurumi, or the edges of beanies and other clothing items.

Let’s Get Started!

Invisible Fasten Off for Amigurumi (Continuous Rounds)

When working in continuous rounds without joining, you’re inevitably left with a noticeable jog between the start and end of the round. The invisible fasten off minimizes this jog and gives you a much smoother edge.

I like to start my invisible fasten off with a slip stitch, since bringing the height of the round down first gives a better result. That said, I’ve been known to skip the slip stitch (Step 1) depending on the piece — try it both ways and see which you prefer.

1. Step 1: Once you’ve made all the required stitches of the last round, slip stitch into the next stitch. Cut the yarn (leaving a long tail for sewing if needed) and pull the yarn tail through the last stitch.

2. Step 2: Thread the tail onto a yarn needle. Skip the first stitch directly after the slip stitch, then insert the needle from front to back under both loops of the next stitch. Pull the yarn through.

3. Step 3: Insert the needle from front to back through the back loop of the slip stitch, and the back loop of the stitch underneath it (the one the slip stitch was worked into). Pull the yarn through.

4. Step 4: You’ve now created a false stitch — tighten it by gently pulling the yarn tail until it mimics the size of your other stitches. If you don’t need a long tail for sewing, weave in the end.

Invisible Fasten Off in the Round (Joined Rounds)

When working in joined rounds, the traditional way of fastening off with a slip stitch leaves an unsightly bump. The invisible fasten off gives you a seamless finish instead, and it’s especially useful for color changes — you can fasten off one color cleanly before joining and starting with the new one. I’ve used double crochet in this example.

1. Step 1: Once you’ve made all the required stitches of the round, cut the yarn leaving a tail of approximately 6″ and pull the yarn tail through the last stitch.

2. Step 2: Thread the tail onto a yarn needle. Skip the first stitch (or starting chain, if it counts as a stitch) at the beginning of the round, then insert the needle from front to back under both loops of the next stitch. Pull the yarn through. Skipping the first stitch of the round keeps your original stitch count intact.

3. Step 3: Insert the needle from front to back through the back loop of the last stitch of the round, and the bar behind it. Pull the yarn through.

You’ve created a false stitch — tighten it by gently pulling on the yarn tail until it mimics the size of your other stitches, then weave in your ends.

Where to Use This Next

The invisible fasten off pairs perfectly with everything else in our crochet basics reference guide — once you’ve got your magic ring and increases and decreases down, this is the finishing touch that makes a piece look store-bought. Try it on the closing round of the Teddy Bear Baby Bib or the Little Vampire Crochet Doll next time you make one.

Happy stitching! 🧶
— Sofia, Loop & Twine

Reviews

Want cleaner finishes everywhere? See our guide to the invisible join and jogless color change.

Keep learning: New to a technique used here? See how to make a magic ring and our beginner guide to crochet increases and decreases.